Exploring Four Empires of Mesopotamia 6.1 Introduction (p.51) The city-states of Sumer were like independent countries they often fought over land and water rights; they never united into one group; they were left open to attacks by stronger groups About 2300 B.C.E., a group called the Akkadians conquered Sumer o They made the city-states part of an empire (a large territory where several groups of people are ruled by a single powerful leader or government) o Empire builders like the Akkadians first conquer other lands then they use their power to keep those lands under their control Four empires rose up in Mesopotamia between 2300 and 539 B.C.E.: o Akkadian Empire o Babylonian Empire o Assyrian Empire o Neo-Babylonian Empire 6.2 The Akkadian Empire (p.52) Akkadians came from northern Mesopotamia They were led by a great king named Sargon o Sargon became the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire o Sargon was both a strong king and a skilled general o He created his empire through powerful military strategies He assembled a large army He taught his soldiers to fight in tight formations Soldiers carrying shield stood at the front of the formation Behind them stood soldiers carrying spears the spear carriers extended their weapons between the shields o After defeating the city-state of Uruk, Sargon controlled all of Mesopotamia, including Sumer o To keep control of his empire, Sargon used smart political strategies He destroyed the walls of cities to make it harder for people to rebel He made sure the governors of city-states were loyal to him if they were not, he replaced them with his own men He became the first king to demand that his sons rule after his death o Sargon died in very old age He and the Akkadians created the world s first empire (This was their greatest achievement.)
6.3 Life Under Akkadian Rule (p.53) Sargon ruled his empire for 56 years o During that time, he made the city of Agade in northern Mesopotamia the empire s capital (a city that is the center of government) He built up the city with tributes (money and goods collected from the people he conquered) Agade became a cultural center with many beautiful palaces and temples It was one of the richest and more powerful cities in the world The Akkadians ruled Sumer, but the Sumerian s culture lived on o The Akkadians used Sumerian irrigation techniques to farm o To record information, they used the Sumerian s system of cuneiform writing o They even worshipped the same gods and goddesses, although they called them different names o Religion remained central to the social order, and kings continued to rule in the name of the gods The Akkadians had cultural achievements of their own o Their language gradually replaced the Sumerian language o In art, they became especially welly known for their beautiful three-dimensional sculptures The carved stones were called steles One famous example is called Victory Stele (see p. 53) Sargon had hoped that his empire would last for a thousand years, but later kings found it difficult to rule such a large territory o The empire became weaker and weaker o After about 200 years, the Akkadian Empire fell to new invaders from the north 6.4 Hammurabi and the Babylonian Code (p.54) After the fall of the Akkadian Empire, Sumer was once again a collection of city-states The next ruler to unite all of Mesopotamia was a king named Hammurabi o Hammurabi was the king of Babylon, a small city-state in central Mesopotamia o After conquering the rest of Mesopotamia, he made Babylon the capital The region under his rule became known as Babylonia o Hammurabi is best known for his code of laws, which he wrote from 1792-1750 B.C.E. He used the code of laws to unify his empire and to preserve order He based the laws on his own authority and on the word of the gods the laws could never be changed
The code of laws was written on a stele and placed in a temple for everyone to see Hammurabi s code was very detailed It covered many situations It spelled out punishments for stealing and other crimes Although his code did not treat all people equally in terms of laws and punishments, it was the first code of laws to apply to everyone 6.5 Life in the Babylonian Empire (p.55) Babylonia thrived under Hammurabi o Hammurabi made the Babylonian god, Marduk, supreme over other gods o He built roads and created a postal service o Agriculture and trade flourished Hammurabi carefully kept irrigation systems working properly, so the land remained fertile and provided plenty of food Babylon became an important center of trade o Babylonians traded with people all along the Persian Gulf They traded grain and woven cloth for wood, gold, silver, precious gems, and livestock (animals) Trade helped the empire s economy The arts flourished Writers wrote historical poems that survive to this day Most importantly, Babylonian society was unusually fair for its time The laws treated different classes differently, but even slaves had some rights Women had more rights than they did in most ancient societies 6.6 The Assyrian Empire (p.56) The line of kings begun by Hammurabi did not rule Babylonia for long o Over the next several hundred years, a number of groups ruled parts of Babylonia o The next great empire in Mesopotamia was created by a warlike people called the Assyrians Assyria lay to the north of Babylon o The Assyrians rose to power again toward 900 B.C.E., when a series of rulers began training them for war With their trained army, the Assyrians began to expand their territory Assyrians were feared for their military might and their cruelty Their greatest achievements were their new weapons and war strategies
o They became extremely good at siege warfare (an army camps outside a city and attacks it over and over again until the city falls) The Assyrians developed new ways of attacking cities They were the first to use battering rams (long poles on wheels that were used for punching holes in walls) They built moveable towers that could be rolled up to a city s walls used by soldiers to climb over the walls The Assyrians were often ruthless they made entire populations leave conquered areas Creating fear among their enemies was part of their military strategy 6.7 Life Under the Assyrians The Assyrian Empire was ruled by powerful kings o Religion, however, remained very important in the social and political order Even kings were obliged to obey the gods The Assyrians believed that kings were special beings they built beautiful palaces for them o While the kings ruled, ordinary people farmed the land The Assyrians dug canals to irrigate their land and keep it fertile They also built the earliest aqueducts (a pipe or channel the brings water from distant places) Assyrian craftspeople were known for their two-dimensional sculptures called bas-reliefs (a sculpture in which the image projects out from a flat surface) o Many of their most famous bas-reliefs were on palace walls o The Assyrians also used ivory to decorate thrones, beds, chairs, and doors The Assyrian Empire lasted about 300 years o At its height it stretched from Egypt to the Persian Gulf o In the end, this vast territory proved too big to control o In 612 B.C.E., Nineveh was plundered by a combined army of Babylonians, Scythians, and a group called the Medes o The Assyrians power was broken forever 6.8 The Neo-Babylonian Empire (p.58) After the fall of Nineveh, the Babylonians regained control over Mesopotamia o They established a new empire, the New-Babylonian Empire (neo means new ) o The new empire s most famous king was Nebuchadrezzar II He was a ruthless military leader who reigned from 605-562 B.C.E.
He expanded his empire whenever he could He drove the Egyptians out of Syria, and he conquered part of Canaan (presentday Israel), the home of the Hebrews As a military leader, he knew it was important to keep his capital city, Babylon, safe he built an inner wall and an outer wall around the city, towers were placed on the walls for archers to stand on, a most was dug around the outer wall and filled with water 6.9 Life in the Neo-Babylonian Empire (p.59) Nebuchadrezzar worked hard to give Babylon the splendor it had enjoyed under Hammurabi o From 605-562 B.C.E., he rebuilt the city s ziggurat the Babylonians called it the House of the Platform Between Heaven and Earth o Nebuchadrezzar decorated his palace with fabulous gardens these became the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon They were one of the great wonders of the ancient world The Babylonians were also skilled in mathematics and astronomy (the study of stars and planets) o The created the first sundial, a device for telling time using the sun o They made discoveries that led us to the 60-minute hour and the 7-day week The Neo Babylonian Empire lasted only 75 years o In 539 B.C.E., a new conqueror swept into Babylon from the East Cyrus (the leader of the Persian Empire) the Persians come from the land we now call Iran for about 200 years they ruled the most powerful empire in the world they were conquered by a man named Alexander the Great QUESTIONS: 1. Why did Nebuchadnezzar build inner and outer walls, towers for archer to stand on, and moats filled with water? 2. During the Babylonian Empire what were women rights and limitations? 3. In what order did the empires of Mesopotamia hold power? 4. What type of power did the Akkadians use to conquer Sumer? 5. What is Hammurabi best known for? 6. After the fall of Sumer, what problem did all four empires of Mesopotamia have? 7. What problems did the city-state of Sumer face by remaining independent? 8. Describe the scene carved on the stele on page 53. 9. The Assyrians built palaces on tall mounds. What does that tell you about them? 10. List as many contributions or achievements that each Mesopotamian Empire had/made: Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian.